1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to apparatus for the continuous, uniform and rapid heating, pasteurization and sterilization of foodstuffs or the like carried by a conveyor belt through an elongated microwave treatment chamber.
2. The Prior Art
DE No. 3,447,544 A1 discloses a microwave treatment chamber with microwave feed ducts projecting into the chambers. The advantage of such feed ducts which reach almost to the surface of the product is that the microwave energy can be transmitted directly into the product and converted into heat with less loss, with a specific distance between the exit of the feed ducts and the product having to be maintained.
When larger, for example, taller packs or containers have to be subjected to microwave energy, a special new apparatus adapted to this pack height and to an enlarged pack surface has to be used. In many cases this is very uneconomical because sometimes only relatively small numbers of particular products undergo microwave treatment.